Casa Escondida — Restaurant in San Francisco

Charming old home in hip San Francisco, Panama City neighborhood. The place has New York pub and Argentina Pampa country vibes. I know that sounds like an odd combo, but that’s what it felt like with its Spanish accent Central American Cowboy decor in the seating area but with an old school pub bar. It’s was cool. And right next door to my favorite brunch spot; Cuquita Cookita!

We walked from our hotel in San Francisco and enjoyed the easy safe walk and seeing all the nightlife. People are good about wearing masks even walking in the streets still as of September 2021 here as it is still enforced.

We did not make a reservation; the only place we didn’t have a reservation because we were going to wing it on our last night. But it was a Friday and because they were still spacing out patrons indoors and outside, we had to take a table inside, which we did not love but did because we did get our covid tests that morning for flying back to the States and knew they were negative. We likely would not have eaten inside if we didn’t have the negative tests because Panama does take the pandemic serious and so do we. I recommend a reservation if you go here because it did fill up by 9pm when we left. Tables still spaced and many not in use.

They are famous for their burgers here. Which feels a bit odd to Americans. Under slight protest from my friend, I did order one to share to just see what the hype was since Panama is not known for its meat. (This is not the Argentine Pampas even though the restaurant feels like it.). The burger was good. Not the best I have ever had. But a solid good burger. My friend thought the fries were like McDonald’s fries. Accurate description.

We also got the pork grind tacos which everyone also said was a must-get. They were delicious. I almost hesitated to order due to having stomach issues with deep fried items and sure enough I did later on. I don’t recommend you order if you have similar issues. Not worth it on vacation or the flight home. :). But delicious!

The staff were all lovely and the environment was charming and cool. If you can sit outside on a nice evening, it would be perfect. Worth a reservation on...

We walked in and really looked the Spanish style restaurant. We got there when dinner service first started so we were the only diners there. There were many things that looked appetizing to us so we decided to try a variety. My husband had the bottomless wine which let you choose between a red, white and sparkling. They kept his cup full and he never had to ask for more. I had the margarita which was really good I had 3.

We started with the civeche and the shrimp dish. The shrimp was good a standard dish. The civeche was tasty but small and came with some pre packaged Crackers. I was very surprised and they did not taste good so I asked for some patacones with it. It was a much better accompaniment and they should consider serving patacones with the civeche.

For our mains we had the 40 minute pork shank and with a side of coco rice and my son's had the burger. The burger was really good and the meat was flavorful. The pork dish was cooked perfectly. Crispy in the outside and very juicy on the inside. I plan to go back to the restaurant for this dish. It was one of my top meals in Panama and we both really enjoyed it.

I thought about giving it 4 stars because of the packaged Crackers but everything else made up for it so I...

We stayed 7 nights in Panama City and had our last dinner at Casa Escondida this past Thursday. It was the most incredible gastronomical experience. My husband had the pasta with seafood and I had the grilled octopus served with the best fried rice I ever had. Both dishes were incredibly delicious and very generous. Our server was extremely nice and professional. He made us choose the exact table that we wanted and was very attentive throughout the meal. We sat inside the restaurant, but both the exterior with the vegetation and the interior are beautiful and extremely cosy. We will definitely come back to this magical place the next time we are in...